Re: [tied] Ergative Stage of PIE

----- Original Message -----

From: Glen Gordon

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 3:38 PM

Subject: [tied] Ergative Stage of PIE

Pat:
>   Semantically, 'kill' is a two-participant verb. To 'kill' without
>someone doing it, is impossible. And someone must 'kill' >someone.

Yes, and don't forget to explore the reflexive sense of the verb, Pat.

[PCR]

Actually, this is, in my opinion, quite important.

I suspect that (at least, most) intransitive verbs are, at origin, transitive reflexives.

 

The suggestion would be that, e.g. in ergative languages, the reflexive object is expressed (in the absolutive) and the redundant agent (which would be in the ergative) is unexpressed.

 

For example: I go = I move myself away;

 

I sleep = I put myself into a sleeping position or state.

 

I am red = I have reddened myself.

 

In my opinion, early humans were very cause-effect oriented even when they got the cause completely wrong.

 

Pat

 

 

PATRICK C. RYAN | PROTO-LANGUAGE@...
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